Record-low temps, bitter winds hamper snow storm cleanup

By REBECCA D. O'BRIEN

Staff Writer |

The Record

As if nearly 9 inches of snow weren’t enough, public works crews and determined commuters had to contend Friday with record-low temperatures and bitter winds in the wake of a winter storm that crippled much of the Northeast.

Temperatures dropped below freezing Friday morning, with wind chill, and the were expected to hit zero again Friday evening, bringing risk of hypothermia and frostbite to workers trying to clear roadways. And gusts of wind reaching up to 25 miles per hour blew fine powder snow back into plowed streets.

In Paramus, rotating crews and extra drivers worked in pairs through the night Thursday, taking regular breaks to warm up in the garage, said superintendent Guy Piccone.

“It’s cold, it makes it a little more difficult than a normal snow storm” Piccone said. The plow crews were still at it Friday morning, as snow continued to fall.

By the end of the storm, Paramus will have used roughly 250 tons of salt and “a couple hundred gallons of liquid calcium,” Piccone said.

The lowest recorded temperature at Newark Airport — the closest available data set for North Jersey measured by the New Jersey State Climatologist — for January 3 was 10 degrees, came in 1981. The lowest January temperature at Newark was -8 degrees, in 1985; the highest was 74 degrees, in 1950.

The greatest recorded snowfall for January, 18 inches, came in 1996.

No county warming shelters had been opened yet, according to Lt. Matthew Tiedemann at the Bergen County Office of Emergency Management, although they could be in the event of a widespread power outage. He said there had been no major power outages reported since the storm hit Thursday.

Tiedemann reported that most highways had been plowed down to blacktop by mid-morning.

Early warnings from officials may have kept many people off the roads at the most dangerous points of the storm, said New Milford Police Chief Frank Papapietro. But the danger is not over: “It’s supposed to get colder tonight, the wind is supposed to pick up,” Papapietro said. “Anything that might melt today will freeze up tonight.”

New Milford saw a few disabled vehicles and an accident, Papapietro said, but the only cold-related call to headquarters Thursday night was for a broken pipe.

As for police officers on the roads today, Papapietro said they keep warm with layered undergarments. “They know what to do to keep warm,” he said. “Sometimes you’re just stuck at a scene and they have to make sure they are properly clothed.”

Record-low temps, bitter winds hamper snow storm cleanup

As if nearly 9 inches of snow weren’t enough, public works crews and determined commuters had to contend Friday with record-low temperatures and bitter winds in the wake of a winter storm that crippled much of the Northeast.

Temperatures dropped below freezing Friday morning, with wind chill, and the were expected to hit zero again Friday evening, bringing risk of hypothermia and frostbite to workers trying to clear roadways. And gusts of wind reaching up to 25 miles per hour blew fine powder snow back into plowed streets.

In Paramus, rotating crews and extra drivers worked in pairs through the night Thursday, taking regular breaks to warm up in the garage, said superintendent Guy Piccone.

“It’s cold, it makes it a little more difficult than a normal snow storm” Piccone said. The plow crews were still at it Friday morning, as snow continued to fall.

By the end of the storm, Paramus will have used roughly 250 tons of salt and “a couple hundred gallons of liquid calcium,” Piccone said.

The lowest recorded temperature at Newark Airport — the closest available data set for North Jersey measured by the New Jersey State Climatologist — for January 3 was 10 degrees, came in 1981. The lowest January temperature at Newark was -8 degrees, in 1985; the highest was 74 degrees, in 1950.

The greatest recorded snowfall for January, 18 inches, came in 1996.

No county warming shelters had been opened yet, according to Lt. Matthew Tiedemann at the Bergen County Office of Emergency Management, although they could be in the event of a widespread power outage. He said there had been no major power outages reported since the storm hit Thursday.

Tiedemann reported that most highways had been plowed down to blacktop by mid-morning.

Early warnings from officials may have kept many people off the roads at the most dangerous points of the storm, said New Milford Police Chief Frank Papapietro. But the danger is not over: “It’s supposed to get colder tonight, the wind is supposed to pick up,” Papapietro said. “Anything that might melt today will freeze up tonight.”

New Milford saw a few disabled vehicles and an accident, Papapietro said, but the only cold-related call to headquarters Thursday night was for a broken pipe.

As for police officers on the roads today, Papapietro said they keep warm with layered undergarments. “They know what to do to keep warm,” he said. “Sometimes you’re just stuck at a scene and they have to make sure they are properly clothed.”